Making a Difference in #STEM: Start Early

photo by lauralucia (Laura M), via RGBstock.com

Research shows that an early start is key to a more equitable education system: 

recent reports

 have shown that early childhood interventions can help close the achievement gap between low income and affluent students by age 8. Many of these interventions also develop traits and skills valuable in STEM, and introducing them early can help encourage underrepresented populations in STEM.

In the early years, think of STEM as the following:

• Science is about observing the natural and designed world

• Mathematics is the language to describe and quantify those observations

• Technology is about the tools and materials used to create designs

• Engineering is about finding solutions to meet needs or problems at hand

Articles you may find useful when teaching STEM to young children: 

• Help Your Child Learn Math -- a parent's guide

• How Kids Learn Engineering: A Cognitive Science Perspective by Christian D. Schunn

• Talking About Size, Shape May Aid Math Skills

• NSTA blog community on early childhood

With engineering ("the E in STEM") being required by more states, many more people--teachers, as well as students--will just be beginning

 with STEM. Feeds from our diijo list of resources can be found on the

for Teachers

and

for Principals

pages.

~ until next time, Yvonne

Yvonne Ng, founder of Engineer's Playground, will be presenting a workshop for parents and teachers on starting STEM early with children from ages 0-5.

Registration through District 196

is open to all, or

contact Engineer's Playground

for other workshops.